Terror groups ‘vanish’ after Snowden leaks

James Brokenshire said that Britain’s national security had been damaged by the information leaked by Edward SnowdenWikileaks/AFP/Getty Images

Britain’s secret services expect to lose track of several “very dangerous” groups after the publication of classified intelligence documents leaked by Edward Snowden, ministers said last night.

James Brokenshire, the Security Minister, suggested that the intelligence services needed more powers to intercept and monitor communications. He said it was not true that GCHQ, the Government’s eavesdropping agency, had the capability to listen in to and log all private conservations.

Mr Brokenshire said that Britain’s national security had been damaged by Mr Snowden’s decision to leak information about intelligence-gathering programmes and TheGuardian newspaper’s decision to publish it.

“Once an adversary knows if and how we can read their communications, they will change their behaviour,” he said. “The threat remains very real and only through the…